


Debut

by QueenCamellia



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, pepperonygiftexchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenCamellia/pseuds/QueenCamellia
Summary: Admittedly, he played much of a smaller role in her superhero debut than she expected; previously, Pepper had thought about joining the reckless (stupidly brave) superhero in the skies. But it was nothing more than that -- a thought, a passing fancy that she would entertain for a moment before dismissing the notion entirely.Her, Virginia Potts, a superhero?The thought never failed to make her scoff.





	Debut

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Meatball42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/gifts).



Pepper doesn’t become a superhero on purpose. It’s more of a spontaneous thing — the culmination of a series of perfect coincidences, as if the stars had aligned and suddenly decided that acting as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company wasn’t enough for her.

It starts with Tony.

(It  _ always _ starts with Tony.)

Admittedly, he played much of a smaller role in her superhero debut than she expected; previously, Pepper had  _ thought _ about joining the reckless  _ (stupidly _ brave) superhero in the skies. But it was nothing more than that — a thought, a passing fancy that she would entertain for a moment before dismissing the notion entirely.

Her, Virginia Potts, a superhero?

The thought never failed to make her scoff.

When Tony presented a suit to her shortly after the fiasco with Vanko at the Stark Expo  _ (“will you be the Iron Lady to my Iron man?”), _ Pepper rolled her eyes, reluctantly thanked him for his efforts, and inwardly thought to herself that it was a shame he’d put so much effort into something she’d never use.

...but, of course, life always found a way to prove her wrong.

It had been a fire breathing, terrifying behemoth that towered over skyscrapers with ease — an experiment gone wrong, a freak of nature which they later discovered was a result of an accidental at Osborn Corps’ research facility on a hidden island off the coast of Hong Kong. Pepper, who had been in the middle of negotiations with some business big shots at yet another conference, heard the roar and quickly realized that the nearest help was an ocean away.

Even if Tony flew at full speed, he'd take at least an hour to arrive. And Pepper wasn't placing bets on SHIELD or the army having the manpower to subdue such a creature; from her position at the window of the conference room, she could see the monster repel any artillery flying its way. The few shots that made it past the monster's numerous, gigantic tentacles did little damage to it.

Only a select few of weapons would be able to penetrate the beast's iron hide—and she had known she had one of them.

“Gentlemen,” Pepper called, shooting the businessmen an apologetic smile as she tapped the surface of her watch. She knew that elsewhere, the briefcase she brought everywhere at Tony's insistence was reassembling, the tiny fragments drawing apart and coming back together to form a suit. “My deepest apologies, but I believe we'll have to resume negotiations later.”

The beast was drawing closer to them, its roars shaking the very foundations of the building; it left nothing but devastation in its wake, crushing and incinerating buildings and cars and helicopters and tanks with ease.

Pepper didn't feel scared. In fact, a strange wave of calm washed over her, enveloping her with a sense of peace. After her latest brushes with death, a battle with a giant monster that seemed like it literally stepped out of a Godzilla movie seemed relatively easy.

She was just hesitating because—because she didn't want things to change. Pepper  _ enjoyed _ her mostly routine, orderly life: the life of a CEO suited her, just as Tony believed. Once she put on the armor, she wouldn't just be Pepper Potts, business extraordinary and one of the few people Tony Stark treasured. She'd also be—

“Ms. Potts?” one of the bulkier men asked cautiously, no doubt noticing the reluctance reflecting in her eyes. At least they had the sense that running onto the streets was suicide: with each step the beast took, fissures in the earth opened and buildings lit on fire. “What…?”

She steeled her resolve.

People were in danger, and she had the power to help. 

Wasn't that the reason why she applied for a job in Stark Industries in the first place? She didn't just do it for the money—she believed in the company's ability to change the future, in  _ Tony's _ ability to shape the future. Seeing the peaceful, non-weapon innovations by Stark Tech—an advanced saltwater filtration system, a nutritious grain able to grow in the driest habitats, an advanced drone to detect people buried in avalanches—gave Pepper hope as a bighearted, somewhat naive college student.

Some of the businessmen yelped as her armor flew in the room, wrapping around her.

_ Like a cocoon around a soon-to-be butterfly, _ her brain supplied helpfully, the comparison making her want to groan and smile at the same time. Her sense of humor was deteriorating. Maybe Tony was right: she  _ did _ need a vacation.

“JARVIS,” she spoke clearly.

_ “Hello, Ms. Potts. How may I be of assistance?” _

“Does Tony know about this?”

_ “Boss is on the way. ETA is 15:47 local time. Would you like to speak with him?” _

“No need.” She hummed thoughtfully, feeling the last bits of the suit click together. She could feel the suit's power thrumming just over her skin, sending an electrifying thrill down her spine.

Was this why Tony liked being Iron Man so much?

(Of course not. She knew exactly why he did it—being Iron Man made him better, made him feel like he was worth something.)

(But he didn't realize that he already  _ was _ worth something.)

(Pepper wished she could show him that.)

“Tell him that if he doesn't show up, I'm going to steal his thunder.”

And with that, Pepper pushed open the window and  _ jumped. _

Maybe this feeling was what Tony loved so much about his suits—this feeling of liberation, as if Pepper had left all her obligations and troubles behind as she took off into the sky.

Grabbing a news helicopter by its landing skids and narrowly managing to toss it out of the way of the monster's warpath, Pepper had barely enough time to register the shock in the cameraman's eyes (and how he hurriedly whirled his camera around to record her—she approved: it was very professional of him to continue doing his job even when in mortal peril) before a tentacle slammed into her, sending her careening towards the ground.

She winced. “JARVIS!”

_ “On it, Ms. Potts.” _

The suit flickered to life just in time. Propelling once more into the sky before she could hit the ground, Pepper made a mental note to tell Tony that he  _ really _ should install emergency parachutes.

“What weapons do I have?”

_ “Several high-gear rockets, energy blasts, and a lasso that can conduct up to 400 kilovolts.” _

“A—what?”

_ “Boss thought it would be a funny addition.” _

“Why don't I have more weapons?”

_ “Boss meant it primarily as a rescue and defense unit, Ms. Potts. Extrapolating from the data, I believe the primary reason for such was because he didn't expect for you to fight with it.” _

Pepper grimaced, recognizing the truth in the AI's words. “We'll fix that later. What can I do?”

_ “You can create force fields.” _

Experimentally, she thrust out her hand, satisfied to see the monster's tentacle blocked by what seemed to be an invisible barrier separating her and it. Pepper could work with that.

Creating several force fields to shield the civilians from falling debris, she flew directly in front of the monster to distract it. The barriers, though helpful for defense, did little offensively: she needed to be strategic.

If she was going to win this, she'd need Tony's help.

Pepper gritted her teeth, maneuvering out of the way before the monster could swipe at her again. “I need to draw it away from the city. JARVIS, any suggestions?”

_ “Scanning for the optimal route now, Ms. Potts.” _

The missiles deployed, barraging the monster and—

—doing nothing more than slightly singeing its skin and irritating the monster.

_ At least they're more effective than the military's... _

“JARVIS?” she called.

_ “I've calculated the optimal route.” _

A map appeared in front of her eyes, just opaque enough for her to see it without blocking her vision. “Got it. Let's make it angry.”

Several rockets launched from her suit simultaneously, in sync with the blasts of energy she shot towards the monster's face.

The battle was actually turning out fairly well. Pepper had successfully lured it halfway into the water when suddenly the beast roared and—were those  _ mini _ versions of the beast heading towards the city?

If it were Tony, he would've cursed. Pepper, on the other hand, suddenly felt the strange urge to strangle something. Or burn something.

Pepper scowled, blasting several of them to smithereens and erecting yet another barrier between the monster and the city. She wasn't sure how many hits the force fields could take, but she wasn't in a hurry to find out. “How far is Tony?”

_ “Give him ten minutes, Ms. Potts.” _

She examined the scene with critical  eyes, then fired the propulsors to life. “Tell him that I'll meet him halfway there.”

For good measure, she fired at the beast again and swooped down low to dodge the pillar of fire spewing out of its mouth. Her armor, a sleek sapphire blue, glimmered in the light cast from the flames.

As expected, the monster clambered after her.

She probably painted an interesting picture: a tiny, armored woman in blue facing a giant mutated beast that towered over skyscrapers. At the very least, she wasn't dressed in the flashy scarlet and gold palette Tony favored: she had convinced him to change her suit's colors shortly after receiving it (“In the off chance that I wear this, do you  _ really _ want another essential Iron Man lookalike running around?”).

A familiar voice took over the comms.  _ “Why, if it isn't Ms. Potts!” _

“Tony,” she said, half in relief and half in exasperation. “We need to have a talk about what you put in my suit, later.”

_ “Your _ suit, huh?” She could hear the smugness in his voice as Iron Man flew in beside her. “Finally decided to join me in heroics?”

“It's just for tonight.” (It wasn't.)

“That's what she said—”

_ “Tony.” _

He laughed.  _ Earnestly. _ Even she was rarely treated to such a sound. “What's the plan, boss?”

“Its weakness is its mouth,” she revealed. Pepper, unsurprisingly, was fairly observant. “I can make sure none of its tentacles—” (Cue a snicker from her stupidly endearing boyfriend.) “—hit you while you figure out how to aim.”

“No faith in my abilities?” he challenged, feigning hurt.

She hid a smile. “It’s a lot harder to hit its mouth than you might think.”

“Got it.”

And without a second's waste, Tony barreled towards the beast with lightning quick speed. Pepper cursed, shooting after him and forming force fields to deflect the monster's attacks. The fact that Tony didn't slow down or hesitate at all both warmed her heart and nearly  _ stopped _ it.

Left. Right. Left. Below.

She had no time to think. The only thought ingrained in her mind was simple:  _ keep Tony safe. _

And she did.

Somehow—thank  _ god— _ the red-and-gold superhero made it to the monster unscathed. Her breath caught as Tony nearly was  _ swallowed _ by the monster; she summoned a force field just in time.

“Tony, what are you  _ doing?!?” _

“Thanks, Pep!” he called, shooting a beam into the monster's eyes. It roared in protest.

Stupid, reckless—

“Pep!”

Pepper registered that she must've been hit by one of the monster's tentacles as she was falling. Her systems faltered as she swan dived  towards the sea.

_...shit, _ she thought as she processed the fact that she was  _ falling _ and about to be hit  _ again _ by one of the monster's limbs—

Then, something barreled into her, sending  _ both _ of them tumbling towards the sea in a messy entanglement of armored limbs. She groaned, testing every suit feature in a desperate attempt to stop her descent.

At the very last second, her systems rebooted; her armor literally skidded against the ocean surface before powering up and shooting back into the sky.

“Thanks for the save.”

She knew him long enough to hear the subtle inflections in his voice. “Always,” he murmured with less bravado and more sincerity.

“I have an idea,” she said suddenly.

“I'm listening.”

“You're not going to like it.”

“Try me.”

“I'll draw its attention. Once it breathes fire at me—”

“Excuse me,  _ what?” _

“—you’ll have a window of opportunity to barrage it,” Pepper finished, nonplussed. “Understood?”

“You know, I’m starting to think that the whole ‘badass superhero couple’ idea I had sounded better in my head.”

“Risks. They come with the job, right?”

Though she couldn’t see Tony’s facial expression, she assumed that he was sending her a look of reluctant exasperation yet fond pride; she often wore the same look around him. “Don’t be afraid to pull out if you have to.”

And in a flash of sudden bravery, Pepper quipped back with his own words, “That’s what she said.”

“Pep.”

She flew forward, calling, “I’ll be fine, Tony.”

Thankfully, Pepper had observed the beast long enough to know its patterns and behavior. Swerving to the right to avoid a tentacle, she formed several layers of particle barriers  _ just _ in time to shield her from the pillar of fire that nearly burnt her to a crisp.

All of the suit’s vitals floating in front of her began to flash red. Faintly, she registered JARVIS telling her that they wouldn’t be able to hold the shield long enough; Pepper immediately glanced downwards and made a split-second decision to angle her shield, reflecting the fire into the water.

She saw a flash of gold and red zoom past her, and that was all the warning she got before the monster roared in pain, stumbling backwards. It was working! She gritted her teeth, flying forward and erecting several barriers around Tony to shield him from the monster’s attempts to defend himself.

Though the standoff must’ve lasted only a minute tops, the moment seemed to stretch onwards for practically  _ forever.  _ With bated breath, Pepper saw the beast stumble once more, falling to its knees.

Then, with a loud crash, it fell into the sea completely, swallowed by the waves.

It was dead.

Pepper turned to congratulate Tony, but froze when she saw the humongous waves caused by the monster’s defeat rocketing towards the shoreline at rapid speeds. Without a second thought, she shot forward, pursuing them.

She wouldn’t be able to stop the waves completely, but she should be able to mitigate the damage. Her suit whirled to life, obeying her commands and erecting several force fields to slow the waves; they washed over the force fields easily, but with every barrier broken, a new one formed to take its place. Pepper was pushing her suit into overdrive with the amount of force fields she was creating at such speed, but she couldn’t stop. Not now, not when she could help.

Tony was helping, too, sending small beams of energy at the waves — just enough to slow them without causing a buildup or further peril.

When the waves finally reached the shore, they  _ barely _ made it past the sandy area, washing over some of the closest beachside villas but doing nothing more than flooding the planters. Pepper let out a sigh of relief.

“Well,” Tony said, hovering beside her. He, no doubt, had also taken notice of the news vans and TV reporters already swarming their way. “That was an eventful superhero debut. Ready, Ms. Potts?”

Had it been an hour before, Pepper would’ve shaken her head. Nevertheless, now, with exhilaration running through her veins and a feeling of  _ hope _ and  _ pride _ spreading within her chest, Pepper...could understand, somewhat, where Tony was coming from.

_ Time to face the music. _

Strangely, the thought didn’t seem as ominous as before.

“As I’ll ever be, Mr. Stark.”


End file.
